Pirate101: Book 7: Enter! The Spiral Cup!
by Dr.Musketeer23
Summary: A year has passed since the defeat of Dark Flint Silver. When news of the death of a fallen ally reaches all corners of the Spiral, a tournament is announced to discover the best fighters from every realm. Of course, as the Spiral's saviors, Merciless Adam Silver and his crew are among the first to receive the invitation. Do they have what it takes to tangle with the best?
1. Prologue

**A.N.: Tada! We're back to the main story. We're getting to some happy campy stuff and a nice bit of fluff. A much needed break from the angst and tragedy of stories past. Enjoy the beginning of a new era!**

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Prologue

"It's amazing. Since Blaze has joined us, we've disrupted twice as many Talon operations." Winston lumbered alongside Angela and Fareeha as they walked down the hall of Watchpoint: Gibraltar.

"I told you, he's just as unstoppable as Alexis was," Angela chuckled. Fareeha gently nudged her girlfriend in her side. "Ow, don't worry. He's got nothing on you, darling."

"Where is he anyway?"

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"Oi, I'll take another pint, luv!" Agent: Tracer, decked out in her orange jumpsuit and her brown bomber jacket, sat at the bar in King's Row, waiting for her ally to join her. "He's late. I'm supposed to be the last one! What the bloody hell?!" The bartender slid Lena's drink down to her, but Lena's hand barely missed the drink and started to slide off the edge. A metal hand caught the glass before it could hit the ground, not spilling a drop.

"I think you dropped this, luv," Blaze said in a mock British accent. He slid the drink back to Lena, laughing as he took a seat next to her. "Sorry, I'm late. I thought I'd check out Big Ben and I lost track of time."

"It's alright Agent: Kane," Lena hiccupped, "I had plenty of company here with mr. pint with me!" Lena waved the glass in the air before beginning to drink it, becoming even more inebriated.

"Hey, you've still got to be careful. Overwatch is still illegal, remember?" Lena finished her drink and hit her chronal accelerator, speeding up her timestream.

"Don't worry, luv. Everyone in here is so drunk they won't remember a thing. You're right, though. I've got to be more careful." Lena and Blaze left the pub and the pirate followed the former pilot down the streets of King's Row to a small church. "I do want to make a quick stop before we fly to France though."

"We've got time." The two entered a small cemetery where only a couple dozen headstones sat in place. Tracer moved to one that was covered in vines and had a bouquet of roses resting on it. _Here lies Emily Morstan. Gay Right's advocate, writer, daughter, and friend._ "She may not have been your first love, but you can't forget your time together."

"You would have liked her. She was always writing about pirates and adventures in history to find treasure and explore the unknown." Lena kissed her gloved hand and let it rest on the tombstone. "I promise, I'll make sure that Widowmaker disappears forever."

"Don't be so sure about that, Cherie," a voice hissed. Blaze drew his pistol and turned to see Widowmaker rifle pointed at his head. The assassin clicked her tongue. "Non, non, non, non, monsieur. That's the last thing you want to do." Blaze slowly put his pistol back in his holster. "Good boy."

"You're making a mistake, Amelie." The purple sniper gritted her teeth.

"You should not have called me that." In a flash of light, Tracer kicked Widowmaker's rifle out of her hands. The brit proceeded to deliver a left hook to the sniper's face.

"And you shouldn't have locked Amelie away!" Tracer blinked to the sniper rifle and aimed it at Widowmaker. "I've been fighting for you for so long. The Amelie Lacroix I know is still somewhere in there, fighting you. No amount of brainwashing can destroy the strongest woman I know!" Widowmaker chuckled.

"My name is Widowmaker, the perfect assassin. My sole purpose is to destroy Overwatch and everything it stands for."

 _The way she's talking. It's so familiar. Where have I heard that pattern before?_

"I serve Talon and its goals without second thought. But most importantly, I serve Dark Flint Silver. He shall bring order to the chaos of this world."

"Flint! This is his brainwashing technique!"

"Destruct code: Odette, Gamma, Widow." Blaze tapped his chest, activating his armor to protect Talon sniper rifle exploded and sent Tracer flying into her girlfriend's grave.

"Aw, rubbish," the adventurer groaned. She pulled herself up and heard an ominous buzzing noise. Tracer looked down at her chest and saw her chronal accelerator glow and shake violently. "That's not good."

"Tracer!" Blaze teleported to Tracer and placed his hand on her accelerator. "Just hang on."

"Not so fast!" Talon's best sniper launched her grappling hook at the two Overwatch agents, grabbing onto Tracer's chronal accelerator. "All Talon agents, converge on my location!"A burst of light surrounded the three as seconds later, they disappeared.


	2. Chapter 1 A New Beginning

Ch. 1 A New Beginning

"We're getting closer to the Dark Archer," Sagittarius reported.

"I know," a brown-haired pirate replied. He walked to his closet and put on his white seventh cavalry uniform. "Archangel, hope you're ready to fly."

"We don't have long before they show up, you know," the personality matrix continued.

"I know, Sag," he repeated. He put pistols in his ankle holster, hip holster and shoulder holsters. His sword hanging from his belt.

"Seriously, you can't just let me have this moment?"

"We've been waiting almost a year for this moment. You'll have yours one day." Merciless Adam Silver stepped out of his cabin and onto the deck of the Golden Archer. "Gracie, Bonnie, Jordan, how're those cannons doing?"

"Their ship is full of holes. They won't be going anywhere quick," Bonnie answered.

"Come on, let me take point on this," a fiery red swashbuckler asked. Lenora grabbed her husband's hand. Her golden dragon emblem shone in the sunlight of Cool Ranch. "That bastard cost us so much of our time together." Adam smiled. He planted a kiss on Lenora's lips before being swept into the air by Archangel. "You son of a skysnake!"

"Sorry, honey! I'll make sure to leave some for you!" Adam waved as he and his clockwork companions flew through the air. "She's gonna kill me, isn't she?"

"That's a fair assumption, captain," the clockwork replied. Adam rubbed his face in frustration.

"Ugh. I'm gonna need to do something to make up for this." The wind blew through the musketeer's hair as they drew closer to the ship that had been the source of so many random acts of chaos for the past year.

"I count fifteen dark pirates on the main deck. None of them are Gareth, though," Sagittarius reported.

"He's somewhere on board. No way he'd leave his grand prize to someone else." Adam drew one of his pistols and released himself from Archangel's grasp. "This is going to be fun!" The pirate drew his sword and cut through the mast of the ship, slowing his descent. "Hey, did you miss me?" Adam moved his sword behind his back to deflect a slash from a dark privateer. "Gotta be faster than that!" He unleashed a volley of fire from his pistol, taking down two charging buccaneers.

"You're an ass, you know that?" Lenora and Ryan had swung over to the Dark Archer using the ropes from their own ship. The red swashbuckler threw a dagger into a dark musketeer's chest.

"I told you I'd leave plenty for you to handle," Adam chuckled.

"That you did," Lenora relented. She drew her sword and stabbed the dark privateer Adam had been holding off in the chest. "I'm still mad at you." Ryan activated his gauntlets and stabbed a dark witchdoctor in the leg before throwing him overboard.

"Hope you didn't forget about me!" Jordan slammed her scythe into the ground and swung herself forward, kicking a dark swashbuckler into what remained of the mast of the ship. Peyton joined in as well, throwing her sword into the crow's nest before using her magnetic gloves to raise herself up and kill the gunman up there.

"All clear up here!" Bonnie Anne and Gracie joined the others on the Dark Archer. Both drew pistols and took out two dark musketeers, beating them with quick draws.

"Now where is Gareth," Jordan asked. An explosion from below deck sent the buccaneer flying to the edge of the ship, her scythe barely keeping her on board. "Argh!" Jordan looked down at her leg and saw a plank of wood impaling the limb. "For the love of SHIT, that hurts!" Bonnie ran to her girlfriend and yanked out the wood before wrapping it in her scarf. Gareth jumped up from the hole, his staff, repaired, in hand.

"Consider us even for your humiliation of me after our last meeting." Adam threw his head back in frustration.

"Dude, you literally slipped on a banana peel that a monkey from Monquista left on my ship after we stopped at La Mancha for fuel. You're still pissed about that?"

"Just die!" Gareth slammed his staff into the ground, sending a wave of dark energy across the ship. Adam, Lenora, and Ryan stabbed their swords into the ground while Gracie held on to the railing of the ship and Archangel simply rode the blast into the sky. The dark witchdoctor formed a ball of dark energy in his hands and sent it up toward Peyton. Her reaction skills heightened, the privateer jumped from the crow's nest and caught Archangel's legs as she fell. Jordan lifted her scythe and slammed the blade into the ground, the staff aimed at Gareth's legs.

"Hey, shit-face!" Gareth turned around. "You ever heard of "eye for an eye?" The buccaneer pulled a hidden trigger on her scythe and shot him clean in the leg. "Well, this is leg for a leg!"

"Urgh," the dark pirate groaned, "You little bitch!" Adam aimed his pistol and shot his other leg. Ryan ran forward and slashed Gareth's staff in half. "Are you fucking kidding me?! I just fixed this thing!" Adam and Lenora walked up to the witchdoctor, swords in hand. Gareth laughed as their boots neared his face. "So, I guess there's no point in begging for my life then, huh?" Adam and Lenora looked to each other. Adam extended his arms in front of him.

"The honor is yours, Mrs. Noble-Silver."

"Well, thank you, Mr. Silver," Lenora replied. The swashbuckler walked up and smashed her foot into Gareth's head. She leaned down and checked that the dark pirate still had a pulse.

"Still alive," Ryan asked.

"Yep." Lenora stood up. "We should get out of here before-"

"Before I show up?" Adam turned and saw a female german shepard in a black captain's uniform with a red strip lined with two white stripes going along her right shoulder. Her dyed red hair flowing in the wind. A pistol was pointed at his face.

"Commander Jayne Shepard. Nice to see you again. How's your brother?" Adam fell to the ground as the pistol connected with his face.

"It's Captain, now. And as of right now, you all are under arrest for interfering with an operation led by the Spiral Task Force."

"Really," a voice called out from the Golden Archer. Brave Riley Bellamy slid down the railing from the wheel to the deck of the ship. "That's the thanks they get for making your job easier?"

"Little Bellamy. Don't worry, you're coming too."


	3. Chapter 2 A Dear Friend

**A.N.: Two new chapter filled with a few new characters. Enjoy!**

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Ch. 2 A Dear Friend

"Merciless Adam Silver," Captain Shepard read off of a sheet of paper, "Pirate, musketeer class, son of Captain Horace Avery-Silver, Pirate lord of Skull Island-" The pirate raised his chained hands, stopping the captain from continuing.

"Uh, that's co-lord," Adam corrected. Shepard scowled.

"Co-lord of Skull Island. Wanted for eight counts of grand larceny, five counts of murder, two counts of assassination, and one," Shepard squinted as she reread the final charge 3 times, "One count of public indecency?" Adam buried his face into his hands.

"Jeez, okay," Adam turned to the window where Lenora was listening in on his interrogation, "This was when I was still a kid. Hannah and Mary had gotten some rare Marleybonian yum and we spent the night drinking away. Needless to say, I ended up streaking through the streets of the Isle of Dogs." Adam watched as his wife collapsed. He could easily hear her laughing from the other side of the glass. "Anyway, the charges were dropped because I was a kid. As were the others as thanks for, oh, I don't know, saving the Spiral? You may have heard of this." The dog slammed the papers down on the table.

"I know what you did! And since you came back from the dead, I've been trying to clean up the mess you left behind with Gareth and the Dark Archer!" Shepard walked around the table. "For a whole year, you and your crew have-"

"Been making our jobs easier?" The captain turned around to see Admiral Nelson standing in the doorway of the interrogation room. "Hello, Captain Silver."

"Hey, Nelson," Adam waved, "How've things been since the Revolution?"

"Well, despite the Royal Navy's failure to quell them, New Marleybone seems to be thriving in their newfound freedom." Nelson walked up to the table and took a key from his belt, unlocking the chains that were around Adam's wrists. "Thought you should know that I'm in charge of the Spiral Task Force now. I've enlisted men and women from all corners of the Spiral, including New Marleybone."

"Is Jordan okay? She was pretty banged up when we finished off Gareth's crew." Nelson held up his hand.

"Jordan is fine. We've got the finest medical staff working on getting her better. She won't be on two legs for a while though. And don't worry about Gareth, we've got him locked up in a special maximum security prison. Only prisoner there."

"Thank you so much, Nelson."

"You did the Spiral a great service, Adam. This doesn't even cover what we owe you. Though, I wish I was only bringing good news." Nelson looked at Shepard and motioned for her to leave them. When she passed Adam, she stopped.

"Don't expect your friends to save your ass all the time, Captain Silver."

"That's enough, Jayne!" Nelson used his one arm to push the dog out of the room. Composing himself, Nelson took a deep breath. "Sorry about that. She's a stubborn one, but she's got a good heart. It's tough being the brother of a well-known pirate and proving that you're nothing like them. She's had to go through more than most in a short amount of time, not unlike yourself." Nelson pulled out a piece of paper and an envelope. He handed the paper to Adam. "This article will be in the Tradewinds Tribune tomorrow morning. I thought you should read it first." Adam unfolded the paper and read the first few lines of the article.

"This isn't an article, Nelson. This is Ratbeard's obituary." Adam let the paper fall to the ground. "He's dead? How long ago?"

"He was found dead in his home on Scrimshaw yesterday. It seems that his heart just gave out in his sleep. He went peacefully, if that's any consolation." Adam leaned on the table.

"After all the fighting he did, his time against me included, he definitely deserved to go out peacefully." Adam thought about it and chuckled, "Probably not how he wanted to go out though. He always loved a good fight." Adam looked out the window and saw Ryan, Peyton, and Bonnie laughing in a circle while Riley balanced her rifle on her nose. "Did you tell them, yet?"

"You're the last one to know before this goes public. Even Shepard doesn't know. Though, someone must have let word slip because this letter came for you. And to Captain Shepard." Adam took the letter out of the envelope and began reading it.

"'Dear Captain Silver, as you've no doubt heard, your former companion Ratbeard was recently proclaimed dead. I understand he was a dear friend of yours, and a formidable fighter. Perhaps one of the greatest in all of the Spiral. In honor of him, I shall be hosting the first ever Spiral Cup. It's a tournament to find the best group of fighters in the Spiral. Matches will be fought in teams of six with one sub members allowed to fill in for any regulars that become injured or unable to fight for any reason. Fighters will be given equipment to prevent bodily harm. Each fight is unique and the rules and arenas will change at random each round. I understand your hesitancy to accept this formal invitation, however, when it comes to family, I'm hoping you know what to do. Looking forward to hearing from you, Clever Alex Ryder.'"

"I was thinking the same thing you were. Alex Ryder has returned after fifteen long years." Adam watched as Riley nudged the rifle into the air, kicked it on the way down and grabbed it in midair and shot an apple Bonnie had tossed into the air. "Funny that you should get this letter and not Riley."

"Which makes me all the more suspicious of this letter. Why would he contact me and not his own niece?"

"I don't know, Adam," Nelson admitted, "But she's seventeen now. She deserves to know where her family is."

"I've helped raise her this past year. Hell, I was raising her before Brave died. I made her the pirate she is today."

"Because you were keeping a promise to another dear friend." Adam stood up straight. "I know it's not my place, but I think you should tell her. And maybe try to win a bit more fame while you're at it." Nelson and Adam left the room. "You and your crew are free to leave whenever Jordan feels up to it." With that being said, Nelson saluted and walked away to another part of the Task Force base.

"So that's it? We're good to go?" Riley put her rifle on her back holster. She looked up at Adam, who still had the letter in his hand. The young musketeer saw the letter and asked, "What's that?" Adam raised the letter back to his field of vision, studied it, then looked back at Riley, her lightning blue eyes staring back at him.

"Well, pipsqueak," Adam sighed, "I think you need to read this."

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 **A.N. I had to decide which of the original crew would die and Ratbeard, sadly, is just too old. I'm going to miss writing some of his witty dialogue but I'm sure someone will fill the role of the grumpy old person in the ever-growing cast of characters in the Spiral.**


	4. Chapter 3 Roundtable Rival

**A.N.: I had so much fun writing this chapter. We've got new characters coming in and a great fight! Sit back and enjoy the ride! Side note: I'd recommend not listening to the song until the fight starts.**

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Ch. 3 Roundtable Rival

(Tribute to Roundtable Rival by Lindsey Stirling)

"So, what'll it be, hoss," the bartender asked. Adam lifted his glass for the bartender to refill.

"I'll take another Golden Archer," Adam requested.

"A Golden Archer, coming right up!" As the bartender left to prep the drink, Lenora came up to the bar and sat down next to her husband.

"Kind of cool having a drink named after you," Lenora chuckled.

"What're you talking about? It's named after the ship. I've never touched a bow and arrow in my life except the one I could form with my aura and I don't exactly have that anymore."

"You know, Draco detects lies too. You can't hide anything from me, Mr. Silver," Lenora teased. Adam smiled.

"No, I can't, Mrs. Noble-Silver. No, I can't." Adam pulled out a collapsible bow made of pure gold with a string made of unicorn hair. "Sagittarius and I whipped this up a couple months ago. He thought that I should live up to the ship's name."

"Do you even know how to shoot that thing?"

"Give me a target. If I hit it, you buy the next round for everyone in here. I miss, I'll buy the drinks." Lenora chuckled.

"Challenge accepted, Golden Archer." The swashbuckler looked around the Desert Rose, searching for the best target. Finally, she saw it. "Hey," the redhead shouted to some patrons that were throwing darts on the far side of the saloon, "Can you move out of the way for a sec? I'm trying to win a bet." Two of the cowboys moved out of the way while one stayed, throwing his darts. "Uh, you're gonna get hit with an arrow if you stay there!" The cowboy didn't even turn around to face her.

"Way I see it, I was here first, so I don't have to listen to some _tonta perra_!" Lenora wanted to get up and pull him aside, but Adam held her back.

"Don't worry about it. This makes this fun." Adam pulled an arrow from his leg holster and strung it on the bow. Straightening his back, the musketeer pulled back on the string and took a deep breath. He let the arrow fly, the arrowhead piercing the cowboy's black hat and pinning it to the center of the dartboard. Adam lifted his bow in celebration as the whole saloon erupted into a round of clapping and cheers. Lenora shrugged and laughed at her loss. "Don't worry," Adam chuckled as he pulled out a pocket full of gold pieces, "Drinks are on me, everyone!" Everyone cheered again as Adam and Lenora turned to the bar. The musketeer folded his bow and put it away before asking, "So, what will my beautiful wife be having today?"

"How about your answer to Alex's letter?" Adam laid his chin on the bar. "I know you don't want to talk about it, but what are you going to do?"

"This whole thing feels like some sort of trap to me. What if Flint is somehow behind it?" Lenora placed a hand on Adam's shoulder.

"Adam, Flint is dead. There's no way that he's behind this tournament. Anyway, I think you're going to say 'yes.'" Adam lifted himself up.

"What makes you say that?" Lenora moved a lock of her flame red hair out of her face.

"Well-"

"You!" The cowboy from the dartboard stormed up to the bar, seething with rage. "You think you can humiliate me like that and get away with it?!" He pulled out a kurare blade and held it to Lenora's neck. "Do you know who I am!?" Adam rotated on his bar stool.

"No, I can't say I do. I haven't been back to Cool Ranch in a while, so forgive me if I don't know all of the new faces. Speaking of faces, yours could use some work."

"He could also use a mint, too," Lenora coughed. The cowboy tightened his grip.

"I am Paco Seldom. One of the deadliest pirates in Cool Ranch Skyway, and _you,_ " Paco sneered as he pointed the knife at Adam, "Merciless Adam Silver, you have made your last mistake. You and this bitch." Adam rubbed the frustration from his face.

"You know," he sighed, "You really shouldn't have done that."

"Done what?" Immediately, Paco collapsed as a sharp pain entered his groin. Lenora turned in her bar stool.

"Yeah, I don't like that word." Lenora hailed the bartender. "Can I get a Sluggy Chuggy?" Adam snickered. "What?"

"Lenora, I think that's enough drinking for you." The redhead looked up at her husband. "The drink you tried to order is a Slutty Chai." Lenora facepalmed and took the glass in front of her.

"Just one more." Lenora began to drink the liquid as Paco got up and whistled, signaling his crew to get up and ready to fight. The swashbuckler sighed, "They're going to try and rush us, aren't they?" Adam took a sip from his Golden Archer.

"Yep."

"Twenty of them? Knives and bottles? Maybe a revolver mixed in?" Adam set his glass down.

"Most likely."

"Ryan got Jordan out of here?"

"Had Sagittarius send him a message through Pegasus when you knocked Paco down." Lenora examined her now empty glass.

"How long do you think it'll take to take them down?"

"That depends, killing or no killing?"

"No killing." Adam set a small bag of gold on the counter.

"I'd say, about three minutes. It'd be faster if we killed them. Save us the hassle of having them come after us."

"Tell you what, we finish this, and I'll tell you why I think you'll say yes to that invitation." Adam cracked his knuckles.

"You ready?" Lenora slammed the glass down on the bar.

"Bring it." The swashbuckler moved her head as a knife embedded itself in the bar. She reached behind her and slammed a horse's head into the wood of the counter. Lenora wobbled a bit as she tried to find her balance. "Wow, and this is me fighting drunk!" Adam ducked as a chicken came at him with a broken bottle. While he was down, the musketeer grabbed the chicken's bandana and used it to slam him into the floor. A bronco charged forward, knife in hand, but Lenora timed a bicycle kick to take him out of the fight.

"This is going well so far!" Adam jumped as two broncos tried to kick his legs out from under him. When he landed, he pulled out his grappling gun and shot it at a long table behind the cowboy pirates. The musketeer pulled back and jumped over the table, letting it slam into the horses with ease. "I'm actually enjoyed myself!" Adam moved his head to the left as Paco began to slash at him with his Kurare. The musketeer leaned back and sucked in his gut, barely avoiding disembowelment. "Jeez, it was a hat; let it go!"

"This is about more than just a hat!" Paco grabbed a knife from the belt of one of his allies. He threw one and managed to graze Adam's left ear. "Ever since you and your crew saved the Spiral, the rest of us pirates have been left to scrounge up whatever dirty work there is. There's no treasure to be found, no islands to pillage. Nothing! And it's all because of you!" A banditoad drew a revolver and Adam watched as Lenora disarmed him and knocked him upside the head. She tossed the pistol to Adam who used the trigger hole to grab the blade of Paco's kurare. The musketeer twisted the pistol and sent the blade flying past the bartender's head. He looked up for a moment, shrugged, and went back to cleaning glasses.

"If it wasn't for me, everyone would be dead now." Adam blocked a right hook and countered with a punch to the gut. "Right now, you seem to hate me for doing the right thing. And that's the one thing I can't stand. Hatred for doing you a favor." Paco, filled with rage, lunged. Adam was quicker, sliding under the Cool Ranch denizen and letting him dive right into the bar's yum kegs. Adam turned and saw Lenora standing on a table, a dagger through her left boot. Lenora stomped onto the table and pushed the blade out. She grabbed the weapon and threw it at one of the assailants, pinning them to the wall. Adam walked up to the pinned cowboy and punched him in the face, knocking him out. The remaining cowboys stood still. Lenora got down from the table. She fumbled on the ground for a bit before regaining her balance.

"We fought, we won," Lenora sighed, "And now I need some help standing because the world's spinning." Adam ran to his wife and slung an arm over his shoulder. He turned to face the rest of the saloon patrons.

"So, are we done trying to kill two of the thousands who helped save the Spiral from certain doom? Or should I pull out the bow and finish this?" The remaining cowboys and pirates put away their knives and bottles and sat back down. "Good. I'm glad we've all come to an understanding." Adam and Lenora made their way to the swinging door of the Desert Rose. Paco pulled himself out of the keg of yum and shook the beverage off of him. Growling, the cowboy pirate reached for his belt and pulled out a pistol, aiming it at Lenora. A gun shot went off and Adam turned to see Paco holding his bleeding hand, his revolver laying on the ground.

"Shooting a man when his back is turned? Now that _is_ low," a gravelly voice chastised. In the corner of the saloon, a woman clad in a gray lawman's coat and a 6th cavalry hat, the spurs of her boots clicking as she moved into the light. As her face became visible, the burns on the right side of her face became more prominent, her short gray hair barely touching the highest scar. "I better not catch you trying to pull a move like that in the tournament or an archer will be the least of your worries." The gunwoman turned to face Adam, who winced upon seeing the burns up close. Noticing the reaction, the woman sighed, "It's the burns, right?" Adam nodded. "Got caught in a spark powder explosion. We can't all come back from the dead," she chuckled.

"Can't argue with you there. I'm only here because of her and my crew." Adam waved Lenora's hand.

"I hear ya," the musketeer laughed. She held out her hand. "The name's Joanna. Joanna Curse. I'll be competing in the Spiral Cup next week. Heard that you got an invitation too." Adam shook the lawwoman's hand.

"Yeah, got mine the day they announced my friend's death."

"Ratbeard. I ran into him a couple times this past year. He gave me quite the run for my money. Almost caught him a few times, but he sure was crafty." Adam's attention was drawn back to the burn. "Don't worry. I had this long before that whole ordeal with the dark pirates happened. You did a great service to the Spiral and for that I see you as a friend." She pulled up her belt and sighed. "Well, I overheard that you weren't thinking of competing. I do hope you change your mind. I'd love to see who the real best shot in the Spiral is."

"That sounded like a challenge, ms. Curse," the archer chuckled. Joanna shrugged.

"What can I say? I've been looking for a new roundtable rival." The three bar patrons stood silent for a moment on the orange desert ground. Joanna took a deep breath. "Well, I've got to get my team together for the tournament. Hopefully, I'll see you two there." The woman turned around and walked away, disappearing as a dust storm moved through Tumbleweed.

"And that's why I know you're going to have us enter the tournament," Lenora giggled.

"Why would I enter the tournament to find a girl when I'm carrying my drunk wife back to the ship?" The drunk pirate let out a volley of laughter.

"Not for the girl! What she's offering: a challenge. Last time I checked, neither one of us could back away from a good fight." The two pirates made their way to the Golden Archer in silence. Adam waved up to Bonnie, who let down the boarding planks. "Come on, even now you won't admit I'm right?" The musketeer took Lenora to the captain's quarters and laid her down on their bed. He pulled off her boots and kicked off his own and laid down next to her.

"Oh, you're right," Adam chuckled, "But I'm not going to say it until you can remember it." He wrapped his arm around the swashbuckler and held her close. "After all, what's the Golden Archer without the Dragon Empress?"

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 **A.N.: Yay! Drunk Lenora! Even drunk, she's a better fighter than most of the Spiral. Adam is officially the Golden Archer. And we have a new rival and friend for the crew of the Golden Archer. Just to be clear, Joanna Curse is a play on the DC character Johan Hex. She is not Mary and Hannah's older sister. However, that Joanna may appear in the future. Hope you enjoyed this update in the story. Until next time, keep your swords sharp and your sparkthrowers loaded!**


	5. Chapter 4 Line Up

**A.N.: Well, after a hiatus that lasted far too long, I have returned. These two chapters are pretty basic. Little background information about some characters as well as how the tournament works.**

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Ch. 4 Line Up

"Ugh," Lenora groaned, "Never, ever, ever let me drink that much again." She rested her head on the work table below deck, her hair a mess and bags under her eyes. "Is there anything else I should know about last night?"

"No," Adam answered, "There's nothing else you need to know, except we met some of our possible opponents for the tournament." The captain activated his personality matrix and pulled up images of three people: Jayne, Paco and Joanna. Before Adam could continue, Riley came tumbling down the steps.

"Sorry I'm late. No one woke me up! Can't be late to the first team meeting." Riley took a seat next to Ryan, who was wearing his new sky-blue assassin garbs with a pair of white wings stitched onto the back.

"Well, I think you got plenty of sleep and are ready to help with preparing for this tournament." Adam cleared his throat to draw attention back to Sagittarius. "Sorry, Adam. Please continue."

"Paco Seldom, born in Cool Ranch, swashbuckler, formerly of the Red Sash gang, wanted for grand larceny, mass murder, public indecency, and, well look at that, substance abuse. No record of any combat experience with clockworks. No record of any sparring matches on Skull Island. It's like the guy didn't exist until after the fall of the Dark Pirates."

"Shhh," Lenora interrupted, "Can we just turn down the volume a little bit? My head is ringing." The redhead laid her head on the table in exhaustion.

"Joanna Curse," Ryan read softly, "Former captain in the sixth cavalry, lawwoman, musketeer, saved citizens of Santo Pollo when they were locked in their church by banditoads. She incapacitated the banditoads and opened the church, freeing them, but received severe burns to the right side of her face when a crate of spark powder inside the church, left by the banditoads, went off while she was saving a baby chicken who had gotten stuck under a fallen beam. Her arrest record is one of the highest I've ever seen. She's put more criminals away than Rooster Cogburn. She retired two years ago and brought a ship to Skull Island to help take down Flint's fleet."

"Huh," Bonnie chuckled, "It's crazy how many people we haven't even met who helped us in the war."

"Anyway," Sagittarius continued, "Last up is our new Marleybonian friend and member of the Spiral Task Force, Captain Jayne Shepard, musketeer, younger sister to famous pirate Sergeant Shepard, joined the Royal Navy when she was thirteen, reached rank of commander before being relieved of duty for disobeying orders and taking her ship to-" Sagittarius' debriefing was brought to a halt as he saw the next bit of information. Adam stood up and continued to read the bio.

"Taking her ship to Tradewinds Skyway under orders by Admiral Nelson to aid the people of Skull Island in their fight against the Dark Pirates." Adam sat back down, a blank stare on his face. "She lost her whole crew in the ensuing battle and returned to the Isle of Dogs where she was immediately put into custody before being released by Nelson upon his reinstatement." The musketeer rubbed his face. "I had no idea. I thought she hated us for no reason, but we're the reason her crew got killed."

"No, that wasn't our fault. She followed Nelson's orders," Peyton stated, "That's not on us. Her crew's sacrifice let us live to fight another day, but we are not responsible for their deaths."

"This is good, though," Jordan explained, "If Shepard knows that we know about what she did, it might make her less liable to blow a fuse if we come against eachother."

"Jordan, about that," Adam sighed.

"What?"

"Honey," Bonnie said, reluctantly, "You're not fighting in the tournament."

"What're you talking about? I'm one of our best fighters." The fox rubbed her snout and placed a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"I know you are, and we know that too, but your leg is still healing from being impaled. I'm not letting you put yourself in more pain for a fighting tournament." Jordan crossed her arms in anger. "Jordan, please don't be mad about this." She leaned into her ear. "I'll do that thing you've been asking about." The buccaneer perked up. "Good. Now, since Jordan won't be fighting, what does our team line up look like?" Adam had Sagittarius deactivate the holograms and stood up.

"So, the invitation came to me, so I'm required to fight. Teams are made up of six people. My proposition is Me, Lenora, Ryan, and Bonnie for sure." Gracie raised her hand.

"If it's alright with you, I'd like to sit this out. Someone needs to make sure Jordan doesn't lose her mind in the stands." The black and white dog leaned back in her chair. "But I'll be happy to make repairs to your gear between fights. Jordan can help." The buccaneer pumped her fist in the air.

"Yes!" The buccaneer laid a big kiss on the dog's cheek. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Gracie blushed. "Just to be clear," Jordan said to Bonnie, "That's the only time someone else gets any sugar from me."

"Well," Peyton said to get the discussion back on track, "I think Archangel should definitely be on the team. We have people that are still wary of the Clockworks. If the people who see the tournament see that the 'Saviors of the Spiral,'" she accompanied with air quotes, "Have a Clockwork on their team, maybe it'll diminish their concerns of another undertaking by the Armada." Adam clapped his hands together.

"It's decided, then. Our team will be made up of me, Lenora, Ryan, Peyton, Bonnie, and Archangel. Gracie, I want you on deck as our sub member incase anything happens to one of us." Adam stood up. "Okay, everyone should keep their skills sharp and remember to do some sparring tonight. The tournament is next week so we've got work to do." Everyone cheered and got up to go practice, except Riley, who remained seated with a confused look on her face. Adam watched everyone leave the lower decks to head to the mainland and the sparring chamber. He turned around and saw Riley stand up and walk to him "Hey, pipsqueak. I thought everyone had left." Adam was met with a hard punch to the right side of his face. The older musketeer looked down at the teenager. "Ow. Do you want to explain what that was about?"

"Why didn't you put me on the team? I'm the best sniper we have! Even Bonnie thinks so!"

"Riley, you know why." Riley crossed her arms, refusing to relent until she got a direct answer. "Your dad gave me one job before he died and that was to take care of you and keep you out of harm's way."

"He also said to do that until I found my family. If my uncle is really the one behind this tournament, your job is over," the short-haired brunette retorted. Adam stared at her, a hint of anger sparking in his brown eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I love that you've taken care of me this past year. You helped me improve my own skills as a musketeer and taught me what my dad didn't have time to teach me. I know it hasn't been easy to deal with me, but I deserve a chance to make my dad proud, even if he can't be there to see it." Adam looked at her eyes. He could see the same determination blazing in her eyes that were in Brave's eyes.

"You really want to prove that you're worthy of his title, don't you?" The young musketeer nodded. Adam sighed, "Fine. I'll tell Gracie that you'll be taking our substitute member spot."

"Yes! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Riley jumped up and wrapped her arms around Adam's neck. The older musketeer laughed as he set her down.

"Okay, calm down, pipsqueak," the Golden Archer chuckled, "I'll decide when and if you fight. If you manage to keep your cool during the first round, I'll consider subbing you in for the second round." Riley leaned on her hip.

"You seem pretty confident that we'll make it to the second round."

"What can I say," Adam replied, "I have faith in my team."


	6. Chapter 5 Live like Legends

Ch. 5 Live like Legends

"Wow," Peyton exclaimed, "This place is amazing!" The green-clad privateer spun around as she set foot on the docks of Fawz. The Rajan island glistened in the sunlight. Thousands of citizens of the Spiral flooded the docks as the crew of the Golden Archer left their ship. "Look," Peyton pointed to a group of buildings to the sides of a massive arena. "It looks like there's a little market area. Oh, and a weapons shop. I wonder if they do repairs." Ryan put a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder.

"We can check it out after we go to the arena."

"Come on, slow pokes!" The two turned and saw Riley waving at them to hurry up. The two pirates quickly joined the others as they left the docks for the streets of the island. "Jeez, you two are main team members. You should be excited for this!"

"Well, we didn't exactly do much sleeping last night," Peyton chuckled. Riley's face went red and she stuck her fingers in her ears.

"I'm not hearing this!" The group stopped at the gates that surrounded the massive coliseum. A man, bald with a two pronged trident tattoo above his left eye, was standing at the entrance, letting some people in and turning others away. Adam approached the man, one hand on his holstered pistol.

"Hey," he grabbed the man's attention. "Is this where the Spiral Cup is?" The man turned to look at him.

"Yes, but to get in, you've got to pay the toll. Fifty gold pieces." Adam looked to his right, Lenora shrugged. The man held out his hand.

"Uh, there was nothing about an entrance fee in the letter. For competitors or for spectators." The veteran musketeer's trigger finger was itchy. "You're not in charge here, are you?" The man drew a dagger and stabbed forward. Seeing this attack coming from a mile away, Adam drew his pistol and flipped the gun around, catching the blade in the trigger mechanism. "Figures."

"Bringing back an old trick, eh," Lenora chuckled. Adam smiled. He twisted the pistol, disarming the assailant and brought the butt of his pistol down on his head. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Must have been from another team. Did just anyone get invited?" Adam led his crew through the gates and into the coliseum. "Alright, I guess you three should find some seats in the stands. The instructions said for the fighters to go to the coliseum area."

"I can't wait to find out who you guys fight first," Gracie commented. The dog, Bonnie Anne, and Jordan left the crew, heading toward the spectator area.

"Are you ready to see what we're up against," Lenora asked. Adam looked at his crew.

"I'm ready, captain," Archangel replied.

"Always up for a good fight," Ryan chuckled.

"Alright then, let's go," Adam ordered. The crew continued down the hall into the main area of the coliseum. The light of the sun above brightened the ground ahead as a wide stretch of sand and dirt glistened. Hundreds of pirates, soldiers, and fighters alike filled the whole of the arena.

"Look at all the contestants," Lenora exclaimed. "There must be hundreds of competitors here!" The swashbuckler began to make her way through the crowd.

"Lenora! Wait up!" Adam chased after his wife, leaving the rest of his team behind. He pushed his way through the crowd before being knocked to the ground after running into a figure in a black trench coat. "Ow." Adam rubbed his back as he stood up. "Sorry about that. I'm just trying to find my wife." Adam looked up and saw the figure's right shoulder. A red stripe inside two white stripes went down along the length of the arm. "Shepard." The dog turned around and looked down.

"You?!" The Spiral Task Force captain grabbed Adam by his coat collar and lifted him off the ground. "I thought Nelson was kidding. You actually got invited to this thing?!" In a flicker of golden light, Sagittarius appeared over Adam's shoulder.

"Yeah. We're pirates but we're not liars. So back off." The personality matrix floated around the dog's head. "We're here to fight. Not kill anybody."

"Maybe I should just eliminate the competition before the fighting gets started."

"Now that's not very sportsman-like. I heard the great commander Jayne Shepard fought with honor." Sagittarius disappeared. The dog turned around and saw an old woman, scars along her face. "Were those stories lies?"

"It's captain." Jayne set down the pirate. She turned to the woman and stared at her before walking away into the crowd.

"Thanks, Joanna." Adam reached his hand out to the lawwoman. She took it.

"Anytime, kid." She motioned for him to follow her. "Come on, I think I know who you're looking for." The pirate followed Joanna through the crowd until he caught sight of flame red hair.

"Lenora!" The beautiful swashbuckler turned around.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry, honey. I was just so excited that I ran off without you." Adam wrapped her in a comforting embrace.

"It's fine. I was just trying to keep up with you." A fanfare of trumpets exploded from a balcony in the coliseum. "I guess it's finally starting." Next to the balcony, a giant hologram projector focused on the balcony entrance, covered by a blue and yellow curtain.

The curtain opened, and a man began to walk out through the opening. A metal thump rang out around the arena as he moved on every other step.

 _Must have a metal leg._

He had buzzed black hair and an eye patch covered his left eye. His single light blue eye was made more apparent by his pale white skin. He leaned on the edge of the balcony, pushed himself up, and stood on the edge.

 _What's he doing?_

He extended his arms and fell forward.

"NO!" Adam ran forward but slowed as he saw the man's right arm go down to his side and pull out a pistol.

A claw shot out of the pistol and lodged itself into a concreate beam above the stadium. He flew through the air, laughing as he made his way around the arena and landed safely on the balcony from which he'd started from. He dusted himself off and a beaming smile covered his face. "Sorry for the theatrics, but I couldn't pass up an opportunity like this. Fighters, medics, denizens of the Spiral, welcome to the Spiral Cup!" A round of applause filled the arena. "My name is Clever Alex Ryder. Many of you probably remember me disappearing after my sister's death. I'd like to let you know that rumors of my own death were greatly exaggerated." Alex clapped his hands together. "Now, I'd like to take this time to remind everyone why we're here. One year ago, our world was threatened by a great threat: a man named Dark Flint Silver. He wished to destroy our world. And many people died trying to stop him. Not just people; pirates. Like Ruthless William Armstrong, Autumn Dodger, Deadly Kyle Noble, my own brother in law Admiral Brave Alaric Bellamy, and Merciful Blaze Silver. And more recently, the famous pirate, Ratbeard." Adam smiled as he heard his brother being recognized. "And today, we, the survivors of that devastating onslaught, honor them by test our mettle and finding the best fighters in the Spiral!" A second projector activated and many of the fighters' faces appeared next to him. "We have many faces here to today, famous for various deeds. Joanna Curse, Cool Ranch lawwoman, Captain Jayne Shepard of the Spiral Task Force, Paco Seldom the outlaw, Alexander Barkilton, hero of New Marleybone, and of course, the crew of the Golden Archer and their leaders, Red Lenora Noble-Silver and Merciless Adam Silver." There was a round of applause as the projector turned and faced where Adam and Lenora were standing. The pair waved before the image disappeared and went back to the contestant list.

 _Everyone on the list seems fairly skilled, but not too tough._ Towards the bottom right corner of the screen was a masked figure, their face concealed. A name was at the bottom of their portrait. _Fulcrum. Interesting name choice. Never heard of them before though._

"Now, the rules of the tournament. As you all read in the letter you were sent, you will be in teams of 6 with a sub member that will fight if someone is injured, sick, or you need another fighter for some reason. Teams will fight until one team collects three points. There are various matches your team can pick: single fighter, doubles match, a race fight, a knockout fight. Singles and doubles are self-explanatory. In doubles, the fight ends when a single fighter on either team is defeated. In the case of a tie, it will continue like a singles match. In a race fight, fighters will battle each other while attempting to cross the finish line after completing a certain number of laps first. In a knockout fight, a small team of three will line up, the first fighters will fight for each team until someone loses, the winner will stay and fight the next opponent until they are defeated. The fight will end when the last fighter on one team falls. As soon as you are defeated, you must exit the battleground for the next fighter to enter the fight." The fighters in the crowd looked at each other. "I know you're wondering how we'll decide a winner." Alex took a small cylinder out of his pocket. "I was, let's say, inspired by an invention of a certain pirate and built these: defense fields. They'll keep track of the damage you take during the fight and how much damage each blow is worth against you. They'll also prevent any permanent damage while worn. However, to make the fights more realistic, the fields produce the same effects to the nervous system that a real injury would give, like the shock of getting hit with spark ammunition, or being burned." Alex put the device away and clapped his hands together. "Now, without further ado-"

"Wait," a voice growled. The crowd watched as Paco Seldom made his way to the front. "What about these, what are they called, personality matrices?" Alex looked down at the outlaw.

"What about them, mister Seldom?"

"Tons of these things have appeared over the past year and we've seen them in action. We all remember Yancy Ford. And three crew members of the Golden Archer have them. Doesn't that give them an unfair advantage?"

"These matrices true capabilities are very much known, mr. Seldom. They're partners for their users, nothing more. Do they give tactical advice? Yes, but those are their limitations. I see no reason to have and regulations regarding them."

"I just don't want someone to win when they shouldn't." Paco turned to the crowd and pointed at Adam. "You're nothing without that toy of yours." Adam and Lenora took a step forward.

"I don't need Sagittarius to take you down."

"Well, I'd say the first fight of the tournament has been decided. Paco Seldom's team will go against the crew of the Golden Archer." Alex looked out on the crowd again. "I know, many of you wish for fame and fortune. Many of you have fought hard to get to where you are today. Not everyone can win this tournament, but, the ones who do, they shall live like legends." He raised his hands. "Let the tournament begin!"


End file.
